Meet Our Team
Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital - Small Animals
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Hospital Management
RVH Hospital Director - Dr Sonia Wilson
RVH Department Head (Small Animal and Large Animal) - Dr Erik Noschka
Small Animal Clinical Lead - Dr Anne Peaston
Small Animal Hospital Managers - Millissa Hampel & Sarah Nelson
Profiles Coming Soon! -
Clinicians
Associate Professor Anne Peaston
BVSc, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology), FANZCVS (Oncology)
Clinical Lead
Associate Professor Small Animal MedicineAnne Peaston is an international cancer expert with experience across veterinary clinical medicine and biomedical research. Her garden at home is an abundance of Australian native plants to attract vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife, while minimising her cats' access, to their displeasure!
Dr. Sita Withers
BVSc(Hons), PhD, DACVIM(Onc)
Senior LecturerDr. Sita Withers joined our Small Animal Oncology Service in March 2024.
After graduating with a veterinary degree from the University of Melbourne in 2008, Sita practiced in Australia for two years before moving to California to undertake a medical oncology residency at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). She became a board-certified specialist in medical oncology (DACVIM(Onc)) in August, 2014. During her residency, she developed a keen interest in cancer research and went on to pursue a PhD in Integrative Pathobiology. She then spent 5 years at Louisiana State University (LSU) as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology. She has been invited to present her research and give continuing education at international conferences in both the United States and China, and is thrilled make her way back to Australia to join the faculty at The University of Adelaide. When she's not at work she enjoys hoarding plants, jogging, swimming, practicing yoga, traveling and hanging out with her two dogs and two cats.Dr Olaf Schaaf
Olaf Schaaf has been a specialist small animal surgeon registered both in Australia and Europe. He completed his residency training at Murdoch University, Perth in 2009 and attained became a Diplomat of the European College of veterinary Surgeon in 2011. He worked in private referral practise in the Perth and the Sunshine Coast, before accepting the challenge of help start up the Adelaide University Vet school in 2012. He enjoys all aspects of dog and cat surgery and accepts surgical referrals for soft tissue, orthopaedic and spinal surgery. He has a keen interest in all things orthopaedic including: fracture repairs, growth deformities, ligamentous injuries, cruciate disease, patella luxation, arthroscopy as well as oncology (cancer) surgery. When he is not helping animals getting a better quality of life in the clinic or teaching up and coming veterinarians, you'll find him spending time with his daughters; crazy Jack Russell Terrier, sweet Staffy x Dachshund or relaxing with his 2 Burmese cats.
Dr Bruce Meyers
Dr. Bruce Meyers BVSc. MMED Vet (Small Animal Surgery)
Dr Bruce Meyers qualified as a veterinarian in 1993 and completed his Master’s Degree in Small Animal Surgery in 2008. He is registered as a Specialist Veterinary Surgeon with the South African Veterinary Council.
Immediately after specialising, Bruce started St Helier Veterinary Hospital and Specialist Centre, and designed and project managed the establishment of a state-of-the-art Veterinary Hospital. The core business of St Helier has been the provision of surgical referrals throughout the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.
From a surgical perspective, Bruce’s interests lie particularly in the fields of orthopaedics, neurosurgery, soft tissue surgery and reconstructive surgery.
From a personal perspective, Bruce is a keen mountain biker, loves kite surfing and the ocean and spending time with his family.
Bruce relocated to Adelaide Australia with his wife, Julie, daughter Abigail and their 3 dachshunds Gemma, Bo and Katie in January 2022. Bruce joined the RVH in October this year and is eager to meet our wonderful community and their pets.Dr Anthony Nicholson
While he's now anaesthetising mice to elephants and everything in between; Anthony's interests were originally in the respiratory anatomy and physiology of marine mammals. In his spare time, he enjoys cat-herding (Gordon-Bennett, Beanie, Perch and Freddy), Pippa the dog, photography, music and cooking.
Dr Marina Munerato
Dr. Marina Salles Munerato began her academic journey at FCAV-Unesp in Jabotical, Brazil, graduating in 2005. She promptly entered the master's program in Veterinary Surgery with a specialization in Anaesthesiology at the same institution. Continuing her academic pursuit, Dr. Munerato achieved a Ph.D. in the same program in 2012, focusing on wildlife anaesthesia. This research exposed her to the complexities of anaesthetizing South American deer species, both in captivity and in the wild.
In 2013, she took on a post-doctorate position at FCAV-Unesp, Jaboticabal, where she continued her work in anaesthesia and served as a co-supervisor for master's and DVM students, imparting her expertise.
In 2014, she embraced a new challenge by joining the Brazilian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and Equine Veterinarian. In this role, she led the anaesthesia team at her headquarters. When not involved in surgical cases, she dedicated her time to internal medicine cases, showcasing her versatility as a veterinarian.
In 2016, she immigrated to Australia with her family, successfully completing the ECFVG program from AVMA and passing the NAVLE, allowing her to practice as a veterinarian in Australia.
From 2019 to 2021, Dr. Munerato worked as a GP veterinarian in Alice Springs, gaining valuable experience in remote veterinary medicine, including service to Aboriginal communities.
In 2022, as a permanent resident of Australia, she joined the University of Adelaide as a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Anaesthesiology, where she shares her knowledge and experiences with aspiring veterinarians, contributing to the field's future.
Dr Darcie Kinnaird
Dr Darcie Kinnaird
Darcie is Adelaide born and raised but moved over to Perth for her studies - graduating from Murdoch University in 2018. Darcie stayed on at the Murdoch teaching hospital to complete an internship in her first year out obtaining a Graduate Diploma of Education at the same time. Darcie moved back to Adelaide right at the start of 2020 and spent two years working in private emergency and critical care practice before transitioning to a general practice role and a role with TAFESA for the next two years.Darcie obtained Memberships with the ANZVCS in Anaesthesia and Analgesia in 2023 and then joined the RVH team at the start of 2024, transitioning to her current academic role in August.
It's always been a career goal of Darcie's to work at one of the big teaching hospitals as she loves teaching and working with students. As a vet, Darcie has a big soft spot for cats (especially the grumpy ones!) with two at home, Rizz (a foster fail) and Fidget (a hand reared kitten who was found in a hedge as a newborn). Outside of work, you can probably find Darcie at the gym as she is a competitive powerlifter!
Dr Peter Hutchison
Peter’s interests lie in emergency medicine, small animal surgery and exotic pets. He currently spends his time with domestic short-haired cat Donut and Ixy the kelpie. His past acquaintances include Ginger the axolotl; Thomas the tortoise and Jeffery Gary Williams the giant panda snail.
Dr. Meagan Coolahan
Dr. Meg joined us in 2024 as a Veterinarian within our Small Animal GP Service. After being a paramedic for several years in NSW, Meg moved to SA and graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2023 with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. She has a special interest in small animal medicine and animal behaviour. Meg is passionate about developing and maintaining great client-veterinarian relationships and has quickly developed her own client base, by building trust through good honest communication and assessment. Meg has a love of German Shorthaired Pointers, here she is pictured with her pup "Hettie" and also lives with four rescue cats.
- Dr. Annie Grove - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Brianna Lambert - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Brianna Whitlock - GP & Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Ellen Mcbryde - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Grace Chapman - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Greg Riessen - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Isabella Fricke - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Isabella Kotasek - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Jennifer Jacobi - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Johanna Mahadevan - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Laura Salisbury - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Lloyd Ings - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Maeva Guyomar - Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
- Dr. Rachel Kelson - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Rob Auricht - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr. Sandy Harbison - Small Animal General Practitioner
- Dr Tobias Threadgold - GP & Emergency and Critical Care Practitioner
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Nurses, Client Services & Support Staff
Nurses Client Services Technicians Nurse Team Leads:
- Jane
- Saskia
Veterinary Nurses:
- Alessia
- Ana
- Ashley
- Ashlee
- Chloe
- Courtney
- Erin
- Hollie
- James
- Laura Jane
- Olivia
- Sarah
- Shannon
- Krystal
- Sarah Nixon - Team Lead
- Beck
- Cathy
- Chris
- Cindy
- Lyn
- Melissa
- Jeremy
- Meg
- Maddie
- Julie - Imaging
- Jessica - Imaging
- Clair - Central Supply
Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital - Large Animals
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Hospital Management
RVH Hospital Director - Dr Sonia Wilson
RVH Department Head (Small Animal and Large Animal) - Dr Erik Noschka
Large Animal Clinical Lead - Dr Olivier Simon
Casey Hogan
Hospital Manager
Advanced Diploma of Horse Husbandry & Management, Diploma of Management, Cert IV Youth WorkBeing a graduate of the university in the area of horse husbandry and management I was delighted to get the opportunity to return in the role of Practice Manager in 2013. I am passionate about the Equine Industry and professional leadership development for myself and staff. A career highlight is obtaining Hospital Accreditation for the first Large Animal Hospital in South Australia.
Previous to this role I spent 11 years working for the South Australia Police, Mounted Operations Unit where I was responsible for all facets of horse husbandry and supervised a team of stable hands. I have a passion for horses and young people, which has lead me to my current position. In my free time I train and compete my own horses and am always looking to further develop my knowledge and skills in the veterinary industry.
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Clinicians
Dr Erik Noschka
RVH Department Head
Equine Specialist SurgeonErik's areas of special interests include general, soft tissue, upper airway, colic and minimal invasive surgery. He's been with us since 2011 and contributed to the construction and equipping of the Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital Large Animal Unit.
Dr Olivier Simon
DMV ECVS EBVS MANZCVS
European and Australian registered Specialist in Large Animal Surgery
Senior Lecturer in Equine Surgery – Large Animal Hospital Team LeadWith a strong and diverse clinical background in every aspect of equine surgery and lameness examination, Olivier has a special interest in laparoscopy techniques, including the development of some novel procedures; transendoscopic laser surgery; and the management of sub-chondral bone cyst-like lesions.
Dr. Chantelle Jukic
BVSc (Hons)
Chantelle graduated from the University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science. After graduation, she completed a 12-month rotating surgery and medicine internship at UQ VETS Equine Specialist Hospital and then an orthopedic translational fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Comparative Orthopedic Research Laboratory focusing on critical size long bone defects. She returned to the University of Queensland and completed her surgical residency training and doctorate of Veterinary Clinical Science developing a new method for arthrodesis of the distal interphalangeal joint in the horse. She has a particular interest in soft tissue surgery and joint arthrodesis techniques of the digit and cervical spine.Associate Professor Sam Franklin
BVSc PhD DipACVSMR MANZCVS FRCVS
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
RCVS, American and Australian Recognised Specialist in Equine Sports Medicine.
Sam is a Registered Specialist in Equine Sports Medicine and Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. She has a particular clinical interest in the diagnosis and management of diseases affecting athletic performance and was responsible for the development of the 'overground endoscopy', an advanced imaging technique to diagnose upper airway collapse that occurs when a horse is exercising.Her clinical expertise includes exercise testing and investigation of respiratory disorders (equine asthma, exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and upper airway collapse), cardiac disorders (with a focus on atrial fibrillation and other exercise-associated heart rhythm disorders) and Equine Gastric Ulceration Syndrome (stomach ulcers).
Dr Surita du Preez
BVSc DVStud MANZCVS DipECEIM
Registered Specialist in Equine Internal MedicineSurita graduated from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2007 after which she spent 6 years in equine private practice before completing a four-year combined residency and professional doctorate in equine internal medicine, at Charles Sturt University, NSW. Her doctorate research project involved the evaluation of non-invasive diagnostic modalities to evaluate lower airway health of horses, specifically those with mild to moderate equine asthma. She attained Diplomate status of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine in 2018 and joined the team at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital. Surita enjoys all aspects of equine medicine with a specific interest in non-infectious lower airway diseases including Equine Asthma, neonatal and adult critical care, ophthalmology, gastroenterology and therapeutics.
Dr Gustavo Ferlini Agne
MV MS DipACVIM
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Large Animal
Lecturer in Equine Internal MedicineGustavo is a Large Animal Internal Medicine Specialist and Lecturer in Equine Internal Medicine in the School of Animal and Veterinary Science at The University of Adelaide. After graduating from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil), Gustavo worked as an equine practitioner in south of Brazil with a focus on equine reproduction. Afterwards, Gustavo completed two equine rotating internships in California, USA and an equine medicine fellowship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute prior to commencing a specialty training programme in Large Animal Internal Medicine at Auburn University. Gustavo also attained a Master of Science degree at Auburn University studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a novel oral diuretic in horses. Following this, he attained board-certification with large animal internal medicine specialist status with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and commenced his academic career at The University of Adelaide. Gustavo is currently undertaking a PhD investigating the welfare impact and aspects of non-response to therapy in horses with Equine Gastric Ulceration. Gustavo has a passion for all aspects of internal medicine, including pharmacology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, neonatology, cardiorespiratory, ophthalmology as well as treatment and management of infectious diseases. In his spare time, Gustavo loves to take walks at the beach with his dog Hondo, and enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing the guitar.
Dr Kara Taylor
Dr Kara Taylor | DVM, Bsc (VetBio), Bsc (honours), Bsc (Animal Science)
Dr. Kara is one of our Primary Opinion and Afterhours Veterinarians with the Large Animal Hospital. Kara has always lived in SA and attended the University of Adelaide where she has not only completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2021 but has also previously completed a Bachelor of Animal Science with Honours. Kara has been around horses most of her life and has always wanted to make a career out of her passion. When the position opened at the RVH she felt this was the perfect job to take on, where she can learn every aspect of working in a referral hospital. Dr Kara is in her third year with us and loves all aspects of the job - in particular emergency and medicine. In her spare time Kara loves to work with her horses and spend time with family and friends - and of course her cats Lottie & Meika, and her dog Nala. Kara has loved meeting so many of you already and cannot wait to meet more of the SA equestrian & livestock community.
Dr Paul Lubbe
Dr. Lubbe graduated from Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty in South Africa in 2007. After a 3 year stint in a James Harriot style mixed rural practice, he immigrated to Australia and pursued a career in equine practice. He is most passionate about Equine Reproduction and Dentistry, and in 2015 he completed a post graduate certificate for Advanced Veterinary Practice in Equine Reproduction with the University of Liverpool. Dr. Lubbe has an excellent reputation and rapport with our local community, and we are so pleased to have him join our team.
Dr Jennifer Connolly
Dr Jen moved to SA from NSW in 2016 to attend the University of Adelaide, and she graduated from a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. Jen has ridden and owned horses since she was a child, and always hoped to enter the equine industry at the end of her studies. As a student, Jen worked as a stable hand, riding instructor and trail riding guide during university breaks. Her spare time is spent either riding her horse, Tommy (pictured), or exploring the Adelaide Hills with her two kelpies, Eddie and Molly. Jen has a keen interest in all aspects of equine and livestock medicine and surgery and is looking forward to meeting more members of the SA equestrian and livestock community.
Dr Lynn Smythe
Dr Lynn Smythe DVM, BSc( VetBio), BSc (Honours)
Dr Lynn is a new member of the Primary Opinion and After Hours team at the Large Animal Hospital. Lynn studied Environmental Science at the University of Adelaide, completing an honours degree and working in research at the CSIRO and Flinders University before travelling extensively. It was during this time that Lynn met her now husband and they moved back to Australia to have their two children. An ex-eventer herself, Lynn now enjoys being support crew for her daughter’s show jumping and eventing exploits. The current adored four-legged family members are eventers, Samsonite and Doug, an OTT thoroughbred, and Molly the rescue puppy. Lynn is passionate about horses and their well being and has a soft spot for the ‘off the track’ TB racehorse. Since graduating from the University of Adelaide in 2023, Lynn has been learning the ropes of anesthesia and primary opinion at a busy equine hospital in the Southern Downs, QLD. Now reunited with her family, back at home in the Adelaide Hills, Lynn is looking forward to meeting the hospital’s clients and being part of the talented team at the Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital.
Dr Laura Salisbury
Dr Laura is a Primary Opinion and Afterhours Clinician for the Large Animal Hospital - who also works in our Emergency and Critical Care Team in the Small Animal Hospital. Laura says she had too many passions when she graduated from The University of Adelaide, so she followed them all!
Starting in rural mixed practice and equine, she then fully immersed herself in emergency and critical care. Now back with large animals, Laura’s primary interest is still to save lives, no matter the species. She hopes to spend more time working with farm animals and livestock, particularly cattle. Laura also loves working with horse owners to help their horses achieve their peak performance.
Having been a committed horse rider since a child, Laura has competed in dressage and eventing, but endurance is her real passion, where she has completed numerous Tom Quilty’s. When not working, Laura is usually training and competing her endurance horses, coaching at her gym, helping out on the farm, or chasing her Jack Russell Rooster around.
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Nurses, Client Services & Support Staff
Nurses Client Services Technicians Nurse Team Leads:
- Sharyn
Veterinary Nurses:
- Courtney
- Gabriella
- Gabrielle
- Jaime
- Kelly
- Kirsty
- Maria (Medicine)
- Ophelia
- Phillippa (Surgery)
- Sharna
- Tessa
- Sarah Nixon - Team Lead
- Lee
- Lauren
- Racheal
- Melissa
- Cheryl
- Gregg
- Alana
- Candice
- Stacey
- Katie
- Megan
- Nina
Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital - Pathology
RVH Pathology Laboratory Manager - Tracey Murnane
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Roseworthy Veterinary Hospital - Business Systems Team
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